Visibility for Indigenous Students and Their Languages: Analysis of Home Language Data in Federal Reports across Seven U.S. States

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Date

2024-08-16

Authors

Perez Baez, Gabriela
Zyskind, Karen
Dorman, Meagan
Medina, Yessenia

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Social Sciences

Abstract

There is an increasing number of children in the U.S. classified as English Learners (ELs). Accurately identifying and supporting ELs in their academic settings entails understanding their non- English language experiences. This study presents findings from language reporting practices from seven U.S. states by examining how states account for the linguistic diversity of Indigenous Mesoamerican languages. Our findings reveal varied state approaches and underscore the limitations of current federal guidance, which limits the recognition of students’ non-English language experiences. We advocate for updating language identification practices and policies and propose a new framework for accurate language identification and continuous monitoring of student linguistic diversity.

Description

24 pages

Keywords

Citation

Zyskind, Karen, Meagan Dorman, Yessenia Medina, and Gabriela Pérez Báez. 2024. Visibility for Indigenous Students and Their Languages: Analysis of Home Language Data in Federal Reports across Seven U.S. States. Social Sciences 13: 427. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/socsci13080427